Make Your Makeup Pop

Anytime we have a chance to chat with Violette about makeup, it’s always inspiring, whether we’re counting the ways in which we love glitter, or discussing the merits of an attention-grabbing red lip. But to hear her talk about Poppy Sauvage, her first makeup collection for Estée Lauder, is a different experience entirely.

“This makeup collection is all about my printemps souvenir, or my spring memory, seeing the sun rise over the poppy fields in the south of France,” Violette explains. “When the light hits them just right, the fields turn gold, pink and copper, like they’re suddenly on fire with color. It’s so vibrant, it gives me so much energy. Combining all of these shades in one collection is my way to recharge for a new season after the frost of winter melts away.” See what we mean? It’s practically poetic, like we’re right there with her gazing out at the fields for ourselves.

What better way, then, to learn about the collection than having Violette herself describe each product and how she would use it? Read on and let her lull you into her poppy-induced dream.

Sauvage means ‘wild,’ and French women are pretty wild.

What does Poppy Sauvage mean to you?
Sauvage means ‘wild,’ and French women are pretty wild. The Poppy Sauvage Collection combines my three favorite moments of spring: the attitude of the season, my ideal makeup look, and my go-to color: the one-of-a-kind fire-red that you can only see on the poppies in France.

What types of looks would you create with this collection?
If you want to do a full look, as well as change from morning to night, this kit really has all your perfect essentials. My favorite is what I call the Poppy Look: Red lips using the Pure Color Envy Paint-On Liquid LipColor in Poppy Sauvage (the signature shade of the collection) with the rose gold/pink eyeshadow from the Les Nudes de Soleil palette. The shade seems to go from pink to gold depending on how you look at it, so it’s really stunning and flirty on the eyes.

What is the one product from this collection that you always have with you?
The Poppy Sauvage Paint-On Liquid LipColor. For this product I was determined to capture the red of a French poppy. The formula goes on lips like the velvet finish of the poppy flower petal. The idea of having fiery red lips is like a tease: You want a kiss, because my lips look incredible. It's sort of a flirty, torturing moment that I love, and the color makes you feel confident. People really react to this color when you're wearing it—it makes you feel good.

How would you use the other two lip shades in the collection?
I'm obsessed with the Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Poésie, because it's a nude with a touch of pink. It's a vibe—very bohème, very pure, spring, and fresh. I also use it as a blush. This perfect nude pink is one of my favorites.

I also wanted a lip shade that was reminiscent of Burgundy, because I love that it refers to both a color and my favorite wine region in France. It is also on the way from Paris to Provence, the place that inspired so much of this collection. So, I needed to make a wine shade. Vin Noir means black wine. I wanted a red that was very, very dark but still very fruity. It can also be a perfect shade to use as a creme blush. As a lipstick, you can either pat it on lightly like you just got kissed, or you can layer it to create a very intense shade.

You’re all about using products on-the-go—which product from the collection works best for that?
The Terra d’Or Eye Crayon is “smoky on the go.” It has a little bit of shimmer, creating the attitude of a smoky eye without heavy-looking, intense makeup. It still has a fresh spring color, with the dew, gold and sand tones that you see throughout the collection.

There is also a 5-pan palette for eyes. What was your inspiration for that?
The color tones of fields in the South of France. My favorite eyeshadow in this palette is the pink shade that I mentioned for the Poppy Look. It reminds me of watching the sunset over the wheat fields as the light creates pink and gold tones at the same time; depending where you look, the colors change. It is so beautiful, and I wanted to create an eyeshadow that has the same sunset illusion. I love to have one palette with the essentials for a whole eye look, so this has nude tones for creating a gorgeous base, plus one shadow that doubles as a highlighter.

How do you bring a bit of the Poppy vibe onto the complexion?
The Pure Color Envy Sculpting Blush Duo in Soleil Doré/Camélia reminds me of the sunset and the sunrise. It can create an ombré-like finish on the skin, from nude, which is applied on the curve of the cheekbones, to pink, which is applied on the apples of the cheeks. It’s like the colors from a sunset sky coming together on the face.

If there was one product that everyone needed to own from this collection, what would it be?
The whole collection is like my baby, so it’s so hard to choose a favorite! But one product that is very important to me in the collection is the Soft Glow for Lips and Cheeks, La Rosée. In France, La Rosée means the morning dew that you find on flowers in the spring. I love the contrast of the matte petal versus the shine of the dew on the petal, and I thought, "I want this for my skin." Your skin has a natural matte finish, so then I pat this on my highlight zones with my fingertips. It’s the perfect natural, soft glow, giving you the effect of morning dew on your skin.

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